Week of August 12, 2019

What a GREAT week of team building, designing and learning it has been!   Thank you for being the learners you are and finding at least one "take away" from each session you attended at district training the last two days.  We are EXCITED to have everyone back on campus on Monday and Tuesday so you can get your first two weeks designed.  It has a blast watching the scavenger hunts, piecing together our song for Don't Give Up on Me, not to mention giggling at your bloopers.  We've also enjoyed watching our vertical and horizontal teams bond.  To say I am "PRINCIPAL PROUD" is an understatement!

(HA!  Sophie was trying to help me, tonight, with this week's blog!)

DID YOU KNOW:

• that each classroom will be getting book sets that go along with the Units of Study for your class libraries?  They are on their way and as soon as they arrive, we will get them to your spaces.  Leave room on your bookshelves!!!
• there is a website for our Lee Social Spurs?  Thank you to Megan, Shari M, and April for your work so far!  We will hear more about this as a staff.

Thank you Social Spurs!

• the office has ordered new backpack tags for our learners this year (instead of having to tape them on!!!)?  We will get these delivered to your house leaders tomorrow.  These will attach with a zip tie and we want them on the backpack strap that goes over their heart.   
• you will want to test out your Vivatek board and make sure it works properly.  CHEERS to sound bars being added to them this summer.  This will make them a great option for your morning house meetings. 
• you have access to our faculty favorites? Feel free to share gratitude throughout the year by knowing the "favorites" of your friends.  
• there are tentative dates set for iPad rollout at the elementary level?  I will keep you posted as we learn more.  THANKS for your patience and flexibility!
• August 22- 4th and 5th graders
• August 23- 2nd and 3rd graders
• August 26- 1st graders
• August 27- Kindergarten

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CREW!
Welcome to Crew Hopper Shannon.  He arrived last week and is already melting hearts!

 

CONVOCATION

Please carpool over and wear the black Convocation shirt that was delivered to your mailbox.  CHALLENGE:  Why not record some carpool Karaoke on the way to or from Convocation?  We have some "give aways" to those who participate and post to Twitter.  Convocation starts, promptly, at 8:30, and you can start going inside the CHS Arena at 8:00.  Our seats are on the FLOOR (thanks, Samira) so head down and grab a seat in our assigned area.  We have a bag full of foam spirit sticks to show our birthday fun.  We will turn these on, wave them in the air, and cheer REALLY LOUD when they call out Lee (usually alpha order so we are either after Lakeside or Pinkerton- depends if they use Lee or Richard J Lee). 

At 1:30, new hires and long term subs have technology training.  Other staff, please come back to campus and work on the following:

1. House digital signage
2. Getting dismissal tags for the entire house from office
3. Getting new SRP posters, cards, and magnets from the office for each house member
4. Check out projector carts for every house member.  Wait until you see how good they look with all of the cords zip-tied together (THANKS RHONDA!) 
5. Work on getting ready for Meet the Designer Night and the first week.

ALL K-5 DESIGNERS SHOULD SEND A WELCOME EMAIL AT 4:00.  Please remember to cc Chantel on your communication. 

NEXT WEEK

Here is the document that give you an outline of each day, what you will do, and what to wear for next week. 

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

PTO and volunteers will be delivering school supplies to your spaces on Tuesday.  If there is a specific place you want these stacked in your space, please put a sign up in an easy to see place.  They will provide a list of who purchased supplies.  Please hang on to this list and use it to verify if more supplies show up in your space.

BEDTIME STORY
What a great way for our learners and their parents to meet Natalie!  She will be reading a fabulous Back to School story that we will post on Facebook at 6:00 pm the night before school starts.   Please share this communication on Twitter and in your welcome emails.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Since parents have permission to walk their learners to your class on the first day of school, we thank you for being prepared to welcome them.  We want to make sure you leave a great first impression of their first day of school with YOU!  The first week is about building SOLID and TRUSTING relationships with the children and their famiLEEs.

Please, by August 23, pick up the phone and call EVERY family. Tell them/leave a message sharing something special about their child.  A great way to end the conversation is by inviting them to Curriculum Night.  It will pay huge dividends to take the time to do this!  It is also a TTESS Domain 4 descriptor.  

My expectation for you, this first three days, is to ensure that school is SO FUN and EXCITING, that the learners do not want to leave at the end of each day.  

ADMIN  VISITS
Leigh Ann, Angela, and I would like to visit with each and every learner/class in the first weeks of school. Please sign up HERE to bring your class to our offices.   We love re-enforcing that the Lee Office is not a negative place to go!


FIND YOUR MARIGOLDS
Our work is HARD work, but we are surrounded by such AWESOME people here at Lee.  Take a minute to read (or reread for some of you) this passage adapted form Cult of Pedagogy.  Find your "marigolds" at Lee, better yet...be someone's "marigold!"

LEE LIFE PRINCIPLE:

Excellence- to stand out with valuable quality

LESSON IN LEADERSHIP:

Quickly learn the names of other designers and learners in the school and greet them by name.

LEE QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

Excellence is never an accident.  It is always the result of High Intention, Sincere Effort, and Skillful Execution" -Aristotle

DATES TO REMEMBER:
August 9- Shari H.'s Birthday
August 13- School Supplies Delivered
     Meet the Designer Night (6:00-7:00)
August 14- FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!
     Yahoo Boohoo Breakfast in Cafe (7:40-8:20)